Pakistan forces 'near Swat Valley conclusion'
Pakistan govt says operations in Swat Valley are nearing an end
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Sunday, 31, May 2009 03:55
Pakistan's secretary of defence has claimed operations to rid the Swat Valley of Taliban forces from the north will be complete 'within days'.
In an address to the media after an annual meeting of defence officials in Singapore on Sunday, Syed Athar Ali said only "five to ten per cent" of the mission remains incomplete.
Areas in the north-west of Pakistan, including Swat and Buner, are thought to be coming under central governmental control after renewed efforts from troops to oust Taliban forces.
However, Mr Ali claimed more needed to be done by coalition forces to bring Afghanistan under control - which he says would, in turn, improve the security situation in parts of Pakistan that share a border with the troubled nation-state.
The news comes after it was announced by an official Pakistani government spokesperson that Swat's main city Mingora had been recaptured from "hardcore" rebels.
Around 2.5 million people have fled their homes in Swat since military operations began in April